Too Expensive to Grow Your Own Food?
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2018
- So "they" say growing your own food or building a raised bed vegetable garden is a waste of money and too expensive to be worth it? Well, I disagree... :)
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Self Sufficient Me is based on our small 3-acre property/homestead in SE Queensland Australia about 45kms north of Brisbane - the climate is subtropical (similar to Florida). I started Self Sufficient Me in 2011 as a blog website project where I document and write about backyard food growing, self-sufficiency, and urban farming in general. I love sharing my foodie and DIY adventures online so come along with me and let's get into it! Cheers, Mark :) 
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I am 75 years old and wasn't planning on doing much because an accident left me with little use of my right arm and hand.I live in Florida and after watching some of your videos I realized that our weather is very alike. You have inspired me to renew my love of gardening in spite of my disability and I have planned the garden out and I planned for success. I will plant in the fall with all the heirloom seeds I had saved up before my accident. A few raised beds to start and progress from there and I am no longer wasting away doing nothing each day. You have a way in your videos that makes me feel challenged to live to my fullest no matter my circumstance.Thank you for your inspiration and knowledge .Keep it up.
This is awesome!
I sincerely hope your gardening efforts in your warm climate - no matter how small - are restoring body, mind & spirit! Love to you from Tasmania (the coldest Australian state) 💖
I live in Florida too and have been growing fruits and vegetables for years. Its therapeutic and a way of life that is healthy and satisfying. I have saved money. We grow organically. We don't need to pay gym fees , lol. Enjoy yourself in the garden.🙋🏼♀️
Don't give up. Be encouraged that you are also exercising that right arm at then same time.
I am from North west central Florida!!! We just got Our greenhouse and are looking for Great videos and information on how to grow 🪴 vegetables and fruits. I think we found exactly what We are looking for .Thanks 👍 Look forward to Your videos to learn as much as We can 🙂🪴🌻🌄
A cynic knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
Well said 👍
@@baloo1579 A cynic will always try to be self-righteous by carefully crafting his or her questions inorder to goad you into doing something negative and guilt trip you WHILE HE OR SHE WILL AVOID THE CORRECT QUESTIONS ASKED BACK TO HIM OR TO HER!
Like the costs of food transportation in terms of it's energy fuel costs, maintenance costs, repair costs, trouble shooting costs, wear and tear costs, inspection costs, checking and testing costs, mechanics labor costs, etc in the form of direct costs and indirect costs and hidden costs and hidden fees plus insurance costs, tax costs, etc.
The hidden costs of buying unhealthy and overpriced supermarket foodsuffs in terms of buying unhealthy seeds, buying unhealthy fertilizers, unhealthy buying pesticides, unhealthy and unsafe farm machineries with all of it's direct costs and indirect costs and hidden costs and hidden fees and tax costs, and all kinds of unhealthy commercial farm inputs by BIG AG and BIG FOOD CORPORATE NUTCASES.
They will avoid answering the direct costs and indirect costs and hidden costs and hidden fees and tax costs of unhealthy costs of unhealthy commercial food processing with added unhealthy food chemicals and unhealthy food additives and other unhealthy food add ons, unhealthy food packaking materials, etc.
They will avoid questions asking about the direct medical costs and indirect medical costs and hidden medical costs of unhealthy long term consumpion of unhealthy foods from the supermarkets and grocery stores and that includes the direct medical costs and indirect medical costs and hidden medical costs of health insurance.
It sounds like the polices we have here in Victoria! They NEVER answer a question directly, 😆
Never heard that one, good stuff
i agree with you but they never highlight the negative costs of their arrgument which is all the plastic and other unhealthy packaging the additional taxes they pay on food and other retailed items the huge costs to roading infrastructure in transporting said produce and as already pointed out the carbon footprint and toxic residues from sprays all of which would blow their flawed costings out of the water. I sure am glad they don't do my accounts.
As a combat vet with baggage as well, i appreciate how you take time to mention the mental health benefits of gardening. I don't have a green thumb at all and I know I don't save money with my small garden but it helps with my mental health. That's what matters to me.
Sunlight, fresh air, physical exercise, a sense of achievement, knowing you are reducing the amount of chemicals you eat…. Priceless for your mental health!
@@deadshot8077 just being a part of the rhythms of nature, it's a beautiful thing. we are put into our place in the world when we garden. and, well you know what they say about it being better to be a warrior in a garden terio :).
@@RunninUpThatHillh lol I don’t know that phrase, you must not be Australian? Maybe you could explain it for all the locals?
I believe@@RunninUpThatHillh is referring to the Chinese proverb, "It is better to be a warrior in the garden, than a gardener in war."
@@brittanyhinkel972 :)
I can absolutely say it’s very therapeutic- I have severe depression, anxiety and used to self harm and although the antidepressants help, gardening makes me feel like I’m doing something! It helps that I’m always learning and gives me a reason to get out of bed and smile at my growing babies! :)
When countries made "the science" the state religion it left a big hole in our hearts...a little or big garden puts creation and life back into focus. This is a year late but hope it finds you well, cheerio
Disabled veteran here. I like to think my plants are my little green therapists.
🙏❤️🕯
Hi, listen to this guy he's right on .Eat your plants that you're growing, eating them. might help you with your ailments.May God bless you and your family always, take care.
I am almost 70.i have poor health and do almost nothing. I too have depression anxiety etc etc. I pay a gardener which is not cheap. To look after my garden both plants and vegetables. Its not about money. Its about sitting in my garden. Feeling serene. Its so calming. And the joy of seeing the first shoot. Its about being part of this living planet that humans are successfully killing. 🤗🐈😊
I have a 4 year old that no matter what I did our how I cooked vegetables she would not eat any of it. Last year we decided to start a container garden our daughter comes out every day to check her veggies and she is now eating vegetables that I could not get her to eat (tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, lettuce, Brussel sprouts).. growing our own food no matter the cost is worth it knowing our daughter is eating healthy fresh fruit and vegetables that she has watched and help grow..
How terrific is that! Not only eating her veggies but is now learning all about them and nature in her own container garden... fantastic :)
my son is the same - as far as blueberries) he will not eat the store bought. he will eat bucket fills off our bushes tho.
My kids hate vegetables but will eat homegrown vegetables if they grow themselves. I think its self-pride
It def may be a texture issue as well. Store items are older or are canned. The textures are NASTY! The al dente texture of raw baby spinach or raw carrots is just the best!!!!
New beginnings 101 Sell her. She’s too high maintenance.
The mental health benefit is worth it alone. How much does therapy cost vs. doing some gardening?
Thats exactly what I wanted to say. Their argument of what it would cost you per/hour of manual labour, when actually its the cost for per/hour of therapy that you don't have to pay.
To be honest I find pulling out a good crop of vegetables that you’ve worked hard for way more therapeutic than rushing to a packed shop and paying for bog standard vegetables.
It’s not labor to garden, it’s the most pleasurable hobby you can ask for
I usually arrive stressed after work at home, if I go into the garden to clean, or work without a special project in mind it helps me clear my mind ( I do have special projects but require my full attention so - weekends or holidays )
@@emmettroche313 I just had my first Sweet Bell Pepper from seed that I grew for the first time and was shocked. It tasted liked an apple! my tastebuds were so confused I got a pucker factor because I wasn't prepared for its sweetness.
I usually get such bland and bitter peppers from the store I thought was their normal taste.
One of my fondest memories is picking carrots from the garden with my father when I was a child. No amount of money or modern entertainment is better than that. I am bingewatching some of your older videos today because it is too rainy to be outdoors. Your channel is excellent now and always has been.
The old adage: “there are those that know the cost of everything but the value of nothing” applies here I think. Love your videos!
Imagine those people who criticized you watching this video during the quarantine (lockdown) and wishing they actually had a backyard garden and invested on it 😆
LOL, so true
Lmfao it's actually been hilarious.
The neighbors been ordering pizza and takeout every day in quarantine.
I've been getting complaint ticket forms from a neighbor and battling them for over a year.
Now he doesn't have big gov to come in and enforce and do check-ups.
I've got a whole production aisle now on my front lawn now.
Today I saw them rip up some of there grass and they have bags of cowshit piled up waiting to fertilize it.
People like to say oh well my native soil can't grow anything.
Man have I ever shown my neighborhood wrong.
It makes me so happy and relaxed knowing I don't have to rely on the shitty grocery store produce.
Especially since my city re-opened the beaches and now are seeing 15+ deaths/day
Fucking Wankers.
So sad how we "pay" the government and big corporations to poison us. Then drug companies pay their puppets to write prescriptions for drugs that have worse side effects than the ailment being treated. Very vicious cycle of greed.
@@donnabrooks1173 Look whoechoes is behind the corporations and government policy and you see a tale old as time.
That’s a great hindsight point , but we both know growing your own is well worth it anyway !
My favourite part of growing my own food is when I give some to a friend who doesn't…the look on their face when they bite into a homegrown tomato and realise that's what a tomato should taste like! Priceless 😃
For real! My uncle grows his own tomatoes and it's crazy how much tastier they are compared to supermarket tomatoes
@@acrustykrab I know gardeners, some even have popular youtube channels, that insist that homegrown tomatoes and other veggies don't taste any different than the ones at the store. But they do...if you pick them ripe.
@@VladTheImpalerTepesIII - who are these people who say that??
Store tomatoes have been bred, not for taste, but for firmness, so they don't squash or bruise during transit. How can something rock hard compare to other special varieties of heirloom, homegrown tomatoes that are waaayy too delicate to ever make it to the stores? These heirloom ones are bred and grown and are still around today because of their sweet, rich taste, and sometimes their size - if you plan to use them for sauces.
"Don't taste any different" my arse! :P
@@TheMurlocKeeper I won't touch a grocery store tomato (except for some of the recently available heirloom cherry tomatoes), because the texture is all grainy and slimy, and the flavor is bland. Nothing compares to homegrown tomatoes, especially good heirlooms.
I thought I hated tomatoes until I was in 5th grade when a volunteer cherry tomato grew in our garden. Out of curiosity, I ate one. It was delicious.
I had 8 tomato plants last year, and easily produced over 100lbs of tomatoes through our long growing season. Some of the plants hit near 10' high, and since I'm in USDA zone 10, we don't get any frost most years, so a couple plants overwintered and are still fruiting (and due to lack of maintenance are roughly 20' wide now...turns out tomatoes are a perennial vine that can just keep getting bigger forever).
If I were to grow nothing else in my garden, I'd grow tomatoes, because there is just no comparison whatsoever between homegrown and grocery varieties.
I go out every morning to eat the ripe "black cherry" tomatoes, and the indigo-beefsteak hybrids and "Pink Romanian" varieties I grew last year were some of the best slicing tomatoes I've ever had. I would eat the "Brandywine" tomatoes out of hand like they were apples, straight from the vine. Even the "romas" were loads better than store-bought because they were at peak ripeness.
So true.
I remember as a child I went out to the garden with friends that had never grown anything. The look on their faces when they had fresh strawberries still warm from sunlight was priceless. We sat outside the whole afternoon. They wanted to taste everything. :)
I remember eating a carrot straight out of the ground with my best friend when we were 6. We couldn't even wait for the dirt to be washed off.
There is a sense of peace in the garden. It is a stress reliever for me in general. Not only do you get food that actually has flavor, you are working in harmony with nature. Our small gardening has been going for about 10 years, and we learn something new every year. It is a bit of work and a bit of expense, but nothing compared to wasting your money on fake and/or tasteless food at the grocery store.
18 months later, I wonder how many of those naysayers are now putting in gardens...
Yep!
There’s gotta be plenty of sticks in the mud that are just paying even more to have 3rd party delivery services that cost more for the customer and benefit the actual markets and restaurants less too. Not disagreeing with you, just saying some people are just stubborn beyond comprehension. I’m personally with the garden gang, always have been 🌱🌱🌱
My hubby always preached about how subsistence farming does not work. Fortunately I'm not an obedient wife an did it anyway. Covid 19 arrived and soon he was asking me what can be reaped from the garden. Even though it is winter I'm still reaping avocados, bananas, broad beans, peas, spinach, celery and have just planted garlic, carrots, onions and cabbage. He never liked radishes until I roasted them the other day. Now he's suggesting we cook radishes instead of store bought potatoes. Our neighbourhood has started a gardening club and I am fortunate to pass on some of what I've learnt over the last five years.
None. They spent all their money buying toilet paper.
@@VladTheImpalerTepesIII 🤣 That's a good one.
Most people garden as a hobby at a time of day they would not be working. So compared to "free time" spent watching TV they are active, saving on gym membership, and producing organic food.
Yup! I work a 9-5 type so my garden looks like crap but its always feeding me tomatoes and such year round
had a friend who lost 20 pounds in a summer from gardening
@@PreferredMethods ya I work out outside that is
@@0annonymous potatoes, jerusalem artichokes, hopniss, peas, and for really bad times heath peas (prevent hunger)....
grow some of these for extreme survival needs
When I realized what I get in return, gardening became my biggest hobby, addiction, pride whatever you would call it!
I can never forget my first attempt with pumpkins and tomatoes where I ended up with loads of fruits with just watering (did not even bother feeding them or anything because my full time job and 2 kids kept me busy enough)...
I literally gave away loads of pumpkins to neighbors, colleagues, kids' school teachers and still ended up with excess at home !!🤩
Good for you. Here in Africa the monkeys eat everything as they start giving produce. I tried many times and nothing can prevent them from taking everything you grow. The only way will be to build a huge enclosure with walls that cannot be penetrated by pulling and tearing and with a roof. That would cost a fortune.
@@hendrikdebruin4012 with birds i know they use owl statues,so maybe a statue of some sort to deter them would work
@@aguyinyourwalls6946 Hi sir nothing deters the monkeys. I shoot at them with air rifles and as soon as I go into the house again they are back... They even learned to open our unlocked outer doors and come into the house taking bread, fruit, anything not locked away... And there are hundreds of them....
@@hendrikdebruin4012 thats is truly horrible
@@hendrikdebruin4012 sounds like its time to go monkey hunting. But i assume if you were allowed to you already would've
Totally agree on the insanity of wanting perfectly even veggies on the supermarket shelf.
I started gardening for one main goal: a hobby to get my lazy pale ass out of the house. And Boy did it work well.
There's something utterly satisfying and rewarding to see the first crops break through the earth or watch the buds of your trees unfold after a cold winter. There's no price to put on that experience.
Wolfskull I need to get started on this...on SOMETHING. I get overwhelmed with happiness the moment the trees bud and start to turn green every spring. I can’t imagine how my own garden would make me feel. Thanks for sharing this with us! It’s inspiring!
lol, i have a wolf skull under my table and I just started a 5 gallon bucket, only have peas and parsley and haven't planted either in the dirt yet, gonna soak them. found the wolf skull in the woods, I just grabbed soil from the woods to put in the bucket but mixed some compost in it, these William painter sunglasses commercials are starting to get way to repetitive.
Same here. I spent so much time in Minecraft. I thought fuck it why not do it in real life, I'm wasting so much time.
It's so awesome to see the first sprouts, the first mega plant, seeing vegetables go to seed, followed by the swarms of bees that have never seen a vegetable go to flower before, then seeing the birds actually eat the drying seed pods to poop them out somewhere else in the landscape.
@@biffjohnson7107 Do it biff. I recommend growing as many different things when you start.
Some will die or struggle but that's normal.
Sometimes my best plants are the ones most neglected left to do its thing.
Find what works for you, and what gives you the biggest smile.
I might recommend 'Moringa Olieafera" as its a super nutritious tree, that grows super fast, and drought-tolerant for arid environments.
Tomatoes are stalky like a tree and produce small budding flowers that turn into apple-like fruits.
Cucumbers are similar but can be left to vine on the ground, and it is incredible to see fruit the size of your forearm!
Can't go wrong with microgreens because they're the quickest to harvest.
Beans/pea sprouts are awesome for first-time growers because if you get distracted, they will grow and fix nitrogen into your soil!
A quote that really speaks to me is, "“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”"
This is why I really like growing trees, and I think you will too :-)
Much love Biff this communities especially Marks is here for you bruv
Oh EpicGardening is also a great channel for beginner gardeners!
I can relate to this. I started a very small garden in my very tiny balcony. It's going great so far tho it would be nice to have more space lol. XD
depends on yield or beliefs. Spend $100 on $25 worth of corn etc etc....I have my own backyard garden because I enjoy the process as a hobby and its cheaper than hookers and cocaine...
Robert Pait I’m so telling anyone that’s asks me why I garden just that 😂🤣
You cant argue with that, I will have t shirts made....lol
Plus tomatoes!
lmaooooo Badgoy
cocaine and hookers are illegal too, depending on where you are.
I have just begun growing my own veggies, because all the prices for buying food at the supermarket is going up. And I have been wanting to go big with my garden for a few years now, and now I finally can. I have been saying these last couple of years, that the time where everyone keeps buying their food from the supermarkets is coming to an end, and growing our own food is going to become more important as the years progress. And I have to thank you for this awesome channel, I am learning so much by watching your videos, while I am busy growing my own veggie garden up as well.
I couldn’t agree with you more Mark, there’s more to growing your own veggies than just cost saving, it’s also about relaxation, good health for your mind and satisfaction for your achievement
And a garden is so much prettier than lawn…lawn is a waste of time and money
@@wardrobelion facts, I’m currently trying to promote that to my parents, we’re gonna get a bunch of fruit trees and we got 2 types of raspberries last week
I think this idea comes from several sources:
1. Bad first attempts. Someone buys a lot of expensive stuff, uses it poorly, gets a tiny harvest, if any, and walks away bitter. They never get a chance to reuse the equipment (and spread out those initial investment costs) because they give up early.
2. Simplistic Economics. They assume an unlimited number of extra work hours are available at arbitrary times. I see this one a lot "You'd make more money getting a second job and just buying it!" yeah, what jobs are within 10 feet of my house and let me work any hours I want and take as many breaks as I want?
3. Failure to value side-benefits. Physical work is therapeutic, you feel better physically and emotionally. The feeling of making something improves ones sense of self worth. So many side benefits that get ignored most of the time.
Yep, well put! Thank you :)
Yes..excellent comment ... especially the bit about "taking as many breaks as I want" 😉😉😉
Tyneras Yes! Being outside in nature, sun, fresh air. So healthful. Even flower gardening, landscaping, it’s instantly de-stressing. Put a price on that!
Beautifully and wisely put, Tyneras. I reckon I at least break even financially simply by spending time in my garden rather than going down to the pub and staring at a TV surrounded by drunks. And yes I sometimes enjoy a few beers or some homemade wine while gardening. :)
i have naught but a windowsill available, where i grow herbs in a planter. it's humble, but i honestly treasure that tiny plot of earth.
That's just how I started gardening a few months ago! It's my favorite spot in my apartment now.
By all means, make use of any little spot you can! One 5-gallon bucket on the front stoop can keep you supplied with cherry tomatoes all summer, and if that tiny windowsill with some herbs makes you smile and enjoy your food more it is absolutely worthwhile. :)
Just think, a sprig of mint can cost $4.00 from the supermarket. But it's so easy to grow for nearly nothing.
Every little thing helps.
I think you would be surprised by how many people would share their yard with you. When I started my microgreens company I had multiple people a week offering to let me use their yards to farm on. If you get out there and ask, someone will be very happy to let you garden in their yard. You can even offer to mow the grass and then use that material for compost.
I relate to that 😂
I'm very much a beginner gardener. About 8 months ago, I planted my very first plant (from seed, I had other herbs that I got when they were fully grown). It was a jalapeno, and I keep it inside. A few weeks ago, I had my very first harvest of the jalapenos (I cut off the flowers before so the plant could get bigger instead) and wow were they spicy. Harvesting my own food for the first time was surreal, and I think I'm addicted now haha.
Thanks for this video. I am originally from England but have spent the last seventeen years in California, in England I grew most of my own vegetables, I have recently bought a house with a large area and have been watching many of your videos. In part because I want to go back to growing some of my own food. Two years ago I was sick, weighed 375 pounds and was on all kinds of medications. I was told to eat the "Healthy foods" in the supermarket, the stuff labeled heart healthy or low fat, low salt. At 375 pounds I knew I was at the end of a road, continue and the result was going to be bad, so I went back to eating the fresh non processed foods. Two years later I have lost 130 pounds, many of my problems have gone away. Now I want to take another step growing and enjoying gardening again. Not just tsave money, I know growing vegetables is hardly cost effective in terms of cash. But just to enjoy eating something I grew, eating something so fresh the dew is still on it, going out and picking fruit, warm from that mornings sunshine, food I know is not riddled with chemicals other than those that nature made for the vegetables to grow.
Thanks for inspiring me to create a garden again. All the best.
Working in your own veggie garden, plucking a ripe tomato off a vine, giving it a wipe on your shirt and munching it down. Priceless!
Tomato’s are 🤢 😂
The claim that gardening is too expensive and too time consuming to be worth the effort is absolutely absurd. Like most hobbies, it can be as cheap or as expensive as you choose to make it, and you can spend as much or as little time doing it as you please.
My husband and I both work full time (we actually both have 2 careers), are in our early 60's, and are extremely active (still run, hike, bike, open water swim, camp, ski, golf, kayak, raft - you name it). We also have two huge gardens at two different locations that produce so much food, we can't even eat enough, preserve enough, or find enough people to give it away to fast enough to not to end up with some in the compost pile. Cost wise, the gardens cost us next to nothing. We produce our own compost, save our seeds to regrow, the garden paths are heavily mulched with wood chips that are made from the tree branches and bark from fallen trees on the property that we hand chop up for firewood, the raised beds are made with logs from those trees as well. Granted, not everyone has a piece of forest property at their disposal, but wood chips can be had for free from your local tree trimming service. We use no sprays, fertilizers, or pesticides, and have incredibly healthy plants with delicious yields. We practically live on just what we grow, and only buy what we can't grow in the PNW. Don't eat meat or dairy, so our grocery bills are pretty darn low. I used to be a chef and don't feel like I have to sacrifice a darn thing living this way - in fact just the opposite.
I wouldn't pay $100,000 to live for 5 more years of low quality living, but I would pay that amount to continue to feel good, be incredibly active, and enjoy the taste of real food for whatever amount of time that we do have left.
Love your channel - keep up the great work!
Wonderful stuff and thanks for sharing your success story in food gardening and lifestyle Heidi! You guys are the "pin-ups" of what I ramble on about living the lifestyle via good honest fun work and then reaping the rewards all the way into retirement and beyond. Cheers :)
I don't think I've commented on youtube before. I watch Mark a lot and have employed his advice frequently as I build and learn about gardening for self-sufficience. I talk to my close friends about these videos and we agree that they are as life affirming as they are informative. This particular video though, really stirs me and I love it. Thank you, Mark.
The best gardening channel I've ever come across great tips, amazing sense of humor and no matter how long the videos are I never get bored of them
my wife goes with my grandchildren to the garden when they come over. I hear the laughter, and see the smiles as they munch on fresh fruit and veg as they pick for the house for lunch. no dollar whatever can be put on the joy I feel when I see this and I know this is good. home-grown-knockers go get some sense in your heads!!!
My 8 year old Granddaughter loves growing peas and eating them as they grow..
The best part of growing your own produce is that you can get what you want any time you want it. Some perishable items like coriander leaves don't last long no matter how you store it. But now all I need to do is to go to the garden and cut off the amount that I need. It's fresh and not wilted and tastes a lot better. This is just one example. Other products that fall in this category are curry leaves, tomatoes, ginger, etc.
i totally agree with you Mark !! my mental health let alone my physical health is so much better since i been grow my own fruit and veggie !!
well said.
So true! Physical and mental wellbeing can't be understated when it comes to growing some (or all) of one's veggies at home :)
True story greetings from the Nederlands😁
This is the life. Lucky man to be able to do this as and when he chooses. No stress here. Thanks for the videos Mark. Jerry
I can add three more things: if I put on my tinfoil hat, Agenda 2030 they want to control our food source. Science hat: Grand Solar Minimum, the Climate is changing - colder, maybe even like Dalton minimum. Food might be scarce at any price. Grow whilst you can. Spiritual hat: if you believe in God you know that we were created to garden. It was our first job and we are meant to be connected to plants.
I see gardening as a type of meditation. There is a sense of peace involved from being able to use your hands to grow life.
I am 63 & have never grown anything successfully. A year ago I sold my inner city apartment & retired to regional SA. I have spent an entire year renovating & building a new lifestyle & life. Right now I am growing approximately 20 tomato vines of determinate & indeterminate varieties, I am also growing celery & lettuce in soil & water, hydroponics. Mr self sufficient me as well as Hoocho are my inspiration. Thank you gentlemen.
You did not spend enough time on the number one clincher.. Gardening is not just a hobby its fun and makes us human. Humans have been growing everything since time began. I mean not only is it sustanable but its theraputical. Most start out by growing flowers & shrubs though quickly evolve to edibles.. Satisfaction quarrenteed best way to please ur neigbors with a basket of fresh fruit & veg. More much more than a hobby...gardening rules it makes you feel and be a better person..reap what you sow. Keep up the enjoyable uploads..
"Humans have been growing everything since time began." This is incorrect. The universe is nearly 14 billion years old. Modern humans have only been around in the past 100,000 years and only recently started farming, 20,000 years ago or less.
The psychological impact of seeing your own food grow is immense and un-substitutable. The emotional well-being that one receives from gardening cannot be bought with money. When I watch your videos from ten years back and compare them with your current ones, I can clearly witness how much you have changed over the years as a human being, you used to be a bit rough and straight face on your earlier videos but now I see you constantly smiling, you are happy and content, and you have also developed an infectious sense of humour that brightens up every second of your videos, can this overall improvement in personality be achived with the money saved by filling the pockets of millionare corporations? Just ignore all these “cost-efficiency” argument from these corporations, no body judges the cost efficiency when those bloody millionaires ride limousines instead of bicycles, spend hundreds of dollars for dining at upscale restaurants than consuming the same “cost-friendly” supermarket gunk they suggest for us, and spend obscene amount of money on all other kinds of filthy habit-deteriorating luxuries. If they can spend so much on such aweful luxuries, we too can spend a little more on our healthy luxuries.
Excellent comment mate cheers
On that subject, I'm learning how to ride a bike:)
Stettafire that’s bizarre in 2020
I am learning to grow vegetables at home. I have stopped buying designer handbags, shoes and clothes now. I am so much into gardening now and i feel happier and more at peace. It makes me more happy to spend on my seeds, pots and compost, etc.
@@mm-nk3qe Awesome!💪
I'm 71 years old. Gardening is exercise for me. I love to see things grow. My neighbors really like tomatoes so I grow tomatoes so I can share them. My cucumbers, water melon and okra were awesome last year. I don't know what I would do if I could not work in my garden. When I was young I worked in my parents garden. Please continue to share your expertise. I watch you and others on you tube. I have gained so much Knowledge from you and others. Keep it up. GO FOR IT!!
Absolutely appreciated this video! There’s more to life than the $ cost like you mention. We are meant to care for the Earth and the animals. Some of us are still aware of this and are better for it. There is nothing more therapeutic than a chat with our Creator while I have my hands in the dirt. Thank you so much!
I just moved into a new house with raised garden beds built into a deck and for the first time since I moved out of my parents, I've just today planted tomato's, parsley, Habaneros, eggplants and a fig tree. I'm going back to her a passionfruit vine and some watermelon seeds, and I have you to thank for fulfilling my gardening need for the last year or two. You're so inspiring. Thanks from Melbourne.
Best of luck with your food garden and thank you! :)
I need to try this. It really seems like it would work
also im a stay at home mom. my husband goes out busting his butt every day for me to have the chance to be with my babies. so as my part to help him i took up gardening. i believe you said in your blog (sorry if it wasnt you i watch so many youtube channels) but that its our duty being stay at home parents to do more around the house to make our spouses life easier who has to go out dealing idiot bosses and idiot people. just the way i see it as well.
Hi Heather, yes I did write that in my blog and good on you for staying home to give your children the best care they can get! I (like you) understand that modern homemaking is different now and that we do need to "work" even harder at home than perhaps last gen did because the cost of living is so much greater today. I believe (where possible) the homemaker should try to take some pressure off the household expenses and the main income provider (in my case my wife Nina) by growing food at home or maybe working from home a few hours. Gone are the days of one income families - for the majority anyway... The good news is it's totally possible to gyo saving on groceries and this alone can sometimes be enough to allow one parent at home to hold the fort creating a better home life for all whilst the other parent concentrates on their job in the workforce without worries. All the best :)
i wouldnt trade staying home with my boys for anything! gardening for me at least has been a challenge cause honestly im very new to it and dont feel like im doing anything right but im still trying to make it work. we cant afford to eat healthy it seriously is so expensive, we'll go to a local produce stand and easliy spend 80-100 bucks eat all that in a weeks time and be back there again spending another 80-100. so far growing our own has been cheaper then going to the store or a produce stand, its just a waiting game on when we'll be able to have a full harvest from the garden. and i love your videos cause you show how its possible to grow just about anything even the apples! i live in south florida and when i seen you growing a apple tree i got so excited cause i was told by a guy at the nursery id never be able to grow a apple tree here, ill be giving that a go soon to see if i cant prove him wrong lol.
I'm just like you Heather. Make sure you find an apple variety that tolerates heat though, look at the zones. I live further north, and I bought a house with old apple trees but they don't want to give good apples. I don't spray them, that might be why. There's plenty of fun fruits to grow where you live. I wish I could grow oranges!
@@heatherreis7839 off course you can grow apple tree there they even do it in Brasil and export the apples under the name called pink lady thats not even organic grown but filed with pesticiets
Dennis Grosen pink ladies are my favorite apples lol. im looking into what kinds i can grow, ive been doing some research and im not sure how true this is but its what ive read that i mainly just have to make sure the apple treea are in shaded areas cause they need more i think its called freeze time so i figured id try to figure out what part of my yard is the "coldest" and see if a apple tree wont grow there. and yes we do have a very big advantage here in florida of being able to grow alot BUT the bugs have been destorying alot of my veggies. i actually had a really nice zucchini growing and this morning i walked out there and the thing was hallowed out by caterpillars 😑
Totally agree with you, I've started growing herbs and vegetables recently. I would lie if I didn't say that I never thought of the cost of fertilizer compare to store bought food, I think that there is also a problem where I live with the cost of gardening equipment and tools, and so fertilizer here is super expensive...
As a fellow Australian I've found plenty of gardening supplies (even seeds!) in dollar stores, growing your own food doesn't have to be extremely expensive.
the labour costs always get me, lol, people pay to work out in a gym fhs
Yeah, if people want to put a $20/hr price tag on their free time activities, then they spend a fortune on TV.
Yeah, what gets me is how they overprice their time, when the time they'd work in the garden is time they would not be getting paid for anyway. Get off the couch and work in the garden instead of watching football or whatever.
Yup, go for a bushwalk for a couple of hours, cost $50 🤣🤣
Excellent point! Pay for a gym membership or pay to put in the initial garden and get far more benefit than just the cardio and sweating.
yeh, i quit the gym now im gardening instead because of covid19 , thanks covid
My husband Chris died two years ago... gardening has saved me thousands dollars on therapy.. plus the groceries plus the bonding family time. I totally agree with you. Gardening is priceless.
Life is priceless. Having a garden is having a sanctuary. You are one hundred percent and I know many agree with us. Remember that ignorance is a lack of knowledge. When someone is sad or mad and go in a garden, and feel that fresh air and listen to those birds and to the running water while you water the garden… you don’t come out the same. We talking about wellness. I have a small garden and spend less than you but we both have rich hearts,lots to give for free.
I am 67 years old, I am digging up my grass in spots (great exercise) for a veggy garden. I have taken cuttings from my neighbors trees, fig, lemon and guava trees, and rooting them for front and back yard growing. Cost 0. I have an avo pip in a glass for another tree. Cost 0. I hope to get cuttings from a loquat tree as well. Caught tons of seed from my potted herbs and growing more from store bought herbs. Replanted onions, garlic and ginger for more seeds. Being on pension makes you very creative.
Mark all your points are valid. In addition, I want to say it is economical. Have you ever seen a pack of herbs in one of three big super markets? In average cost you 3au$ for 20gr. That is equal to 150$ a kilo. How many people ever calculated that? I grow all my herbs organically and allow a square meter for each yet harvest kilograms of each enough for my family and my friends as a gift. All I spend as organic food for my garden per year is way less than 100$. Labour cost you say? When you enjoy something of course you pay for it and this I think is the cheapest entertainment/ hobby which granteed my well-being as well as well being of my loved one.
Pej Jam YESSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! I saw at local grocery that rosemary fresh sprigs going for $17/lb!!!!! I have a huge rosemary bush 4’ tall that started as a plant from Walmart 5 yrs ago
Oh yeah! Herbs and spices (especially fresh) are very expensive from the shops! Cheers :)
It really is amazing what people will pay for such simple things. There are folks all over the place making part or all of their living just selling microgreens and sprouts to stores and restaurants. Literally ALL they do is continuously sprout seeds and clip them down after a week or two! Oftentimes those people are making that money in a basement or spare bedroom with just a few inexpensive LED or fluorescent lights (you don't need high-powered grow lights to sprout anything.) Their only expense is a small draw of electricity and some bags of seeds.
I look at backyard gardening like I look at home brewing and home cheese making. It may cost more in dollar value short term, but the knowledge, exercise and satisfaction you gain is priceless. You know exactly what goes into what you make and grow, and you know you've made or grown it how you like it. And at the end of the day you end up with fresh fruit and veg, fresh home made cheese, or a beer. What's not to love about that?
A big thank you to Mark and the people like him that share their journeys and learnings to inspire and teach the rest of us.
Yes, Bjorn, I agree with you and that's a great analogy you gave because over the years I've definitely become proficient at growing fruit and veg and it was simply via practice, trial and error that gave us the knowledge to know what to grow at the right time and how. It's not hard but practice at anything and improvements follow :)
I am very overweight, I have a lot of medical issues. I've just started working in the garden growing fruit and vegetables. Although I'm unable to walk far around the block, I found I can work in the garden for 2 or more hours. It's like dancing, your having fun and it's holding your attention and you don't think of it as exercise. I'm learning so much by making mistakes and I don't worry about it because I view it as a tick off the list to failings. I love your sites, I love the 'no bullshit' talk.
I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate all of your videos. I'm 63 and have bought a bit of land and, yes, my brother is telling me I am crazy about even thinking of growing my own food and raising chickens when everything at the supermarket is so much cheaper. However, my older brother hasn't quite figured out that the world is in crisis right now (orchestrated crisis), and that our only real hope is to grow our own - organic - food and live off the land. I'm just sorry that it is taking so long for my new home to be habitable, as I'm going to lose another season. In the meantime, I'm stocking up on tins and pasta and taking any tips on growing food on my rental terrace. Here's hoping... Thank you so much for all you do. Your cheerfulness and sound sense raise my spirits every day!
This type of common sense should be mandatory education in schools 🤦🏻♂️
When I was in grade 1 (1975), I vividly recall garden lessons, planting small veggies and loved it. Rather filling up the curriculum with nonsense
Mark, I've been watching all your videos and just found this. Just wanted to say that I disagree with my husband all the time about the expense of growing our own veggies and am always looking for free materials. We just built 480 sq feet of raised beds and have filled them for free. Just this week, found a cuniculturer and got about 200 lbs of rabbit manure compost for FREE for my beds and now have a continuous source for good compost in her. The "too expensive" argument just on the money side of expense is bullcookies. There is free material everywhere. All we have to do is look for it.
So true! You can go out and buy manure or compost., or you can make your own compost and make friend with a neighbor with sheep/cattle. There's always some way to save on the material costs.
And when u look and think u can have it done in 6 months. 2 two times a year u can top off beds are add new ones. I do both beds and no till. Loving it! Now I have to tackle squash and vine borer bugs. Ugh!! Happy planting!
I get coffee grounds from a local Cafe for free.
I live in Germany in just an apartment. But I have a balcony. Even with just a balcony I can grow strawberries, raspberries ,potatoes, onions, tomatoes and of course a whole bunch of herbs. When I calculate the costs for growing it comes cheaper compared to buy from a store. Cause you buy your seeds once or you just kitchen scraps. Your soil you can reuse by simply adding natural fertilizer from your kitchen, eggshells coffegrounds ect. Make you getsome hornmeal but thats about it. It is so rewarding to see the baby veggies and fruit grow and they taste sooo much better! It is absolutely amazing for your mind body and soul! Everybody should grow their own.
Thanks Mark, you bring common sense and entertainment to the food gardening world,
something that seems to be disappearing.
I enjoy all your episode's and have now bought some raised beds.
Its a great way for me to wind down after a tough day at work. The intro with the bird sounds soothes the soul and the episode's are more educational and down to earth than anything on tv.
Big thumbs up!
Simon.
I tried to explain to my daughter the importance of extra food on hand. She said nothing will ever happen in her lifetime. I love a veg in my little garden. I love seeing a little extra food in my pantry. We just need it and it makes me happy seeing my first tomato turning red. The taste of a garden raised tomato is so much more flavorful than a store bought one. You are so right. Grow a veg or salad garden in a large pot. Just do something, NOW.
True Judy, and we all hope nothing bad happens but being prepared is always a better policy than trusting the status quo of peace and bounty for all will keep going on :)
Normalcy bias, never say never...
There's nothing better than everything on the supper table I grew myself.
Lol your daughter’s comment didn’t age well.
And then the pandemic hit...
It might sounds silly, but I feel like there’s a certain aspect of becoming more naturally self sufficient that extends the life even aside from the health benefits of physically gardening, sunshine and natural eating... “I can’t die today; who will water the plants?! I’ll have to push my death to tomorrow...”
This got me through a very low patch in my life too. I wanted to "opt out of life" as it were...but I had a cat to look after and a shittonne of plants that would die in the summer heat without my constant care. I HAD to stay!
I'm in a much better place now, of course, and with someone lovely, but yeah...gardening is a very powerful anti-depressive, healing force!
@@TheMurlocKeeper please stay
@@TheMurlocKeeper absolutely and I know what ya mean my garden is my happy place too.
I started gardening when the covid era started. I was 70. The first thing I did was create a herb bed using some stone slabs that were ganging round the garden. Since then i have added every year. I go to "college" on RUclips and Mark is one of the best teachers out there so thank you Mark! Lots if terrific tips even if you live in the UK like me. I totally agree with this video xx💚🍀🌱
Mark, your positive attitude and lovely smile helps be fight nihilism and depression ❤️
I like ranty videos! And, sadly, I am one of those people who crunch the numbers to often and get self-defeated. But it's more than just numbers. Sure, you could save even more money by eating nothing but cheap Cup-o-Noodles... but what kind of life is that to live?! How healthy would you be? What's the point of saving a few dollars, if it requires you to lead a miserable life. And honestly, investments in growing your own food last beyond your years. I may seem crazy planting all these fruit trees, but they will be myself, my child and her children. Absolutely worth every penny.
Haha, yes you're prone to the occasional rant in your vids :) Yep, a cup of noodles is better when an heirloom carrot, potatoes, and herbs are thrown in... LOL Cheers :)
This was helpful. I just spent a fair bit of money to build a stand for my container garden. I still haven't gotten any produce from it, but I've been enjoying walking out there every day to take a peek at how all my little plants are doing. If you think about how much we spend on entertainment, going to the movies, for example. $12 for a ticket for 2 hours entertainment. The return on investment is much better with the garden. I'll be enjoying this for a long time. I hope.
Your channel has given me so many ideas. Thank you for being inspiring.
I'm the same, I love simply walking out in the backyard and inspecting the plants to see how they are going. This is also why I still like hand watering - I just enjoy it! Cheers :)
I have recently started my own small vegie/herb garden in a raised bed in my back courtyard...like you, even though mine hasn't produced much yet (although, the other night I did use a little of my brand new parsley in my dinner...yum, so proud of that little parsley patch! haha)...I love starting my day by wandering out and checking on each of my plants - such a relaxing way to start my morning. Also, at times of stress, I've found that simply going out to my garden, looking at the little plants starting to grow, and taking a few deep breaths while I'm there, helps calm me down - just taking that few minutes 'time out' in the fresh outside air really helps. Stress relief, and starting my day in such a calm way, in my very own backyard - cannot put a price on that.
Thanks for your vids Mark. You've inspired me to get my garden producing as a hobby to help with stress from the ambulance service. Not sure I'll grow many bananas in the UK though. Cheers mate
I totally agree! The pleasure of growing your own veggies and fruits is invaluable. Love this video thank you.
I love that you talk about the non-financial benefits. I’m starting a garden to educate myself about where food comes from and if I’m ever in a bad spot, I have the skills to provide for myself food with a garden.
Do you know how much Mint, Basil, Tyme, or Rosemary cost from the supermarket?
I'm growing my own, thank you very much.
Same here, I have parsley, sage ,rosemary, thyme ( no pun intended, lol ) basil, and oregano. plus in another couple of pots I have peppermint, spearmint and mint for making my own herbal teas. then in another couple of pots I have turmeric and ginger as well as lemongrass. have just bought three small raised garden beds on legs today that I'll be using to grow a few more veges in my tiny backyard (4 metres x 12 metres) so I can have at least a small supply of good organically food to use. in two large pots I have a dwarf lemon tree and dwarf lime tree to give me some citrus fruits to have too.
That’s why I started my garden!
Tyme cuttings with flowers for tea, something around 9,-€ a small package(around ten). I have it in my garden and can make tea all year round, with or without flowers, it is great for the lungs.
Exactly! People don’t understand the cumulative cost of purchasing from a grocery store. Yeah your gonna have to put some coin down to start your plants but the return is worth it. Hands down!
I currently have mint and corriander, chillies coming soon and my chillies did well last year. I planted dome peppers and tomatoes this year :)
I recently moved from an arid area where I was stuck in a townhouse with only a small patio to grow and a community plot with irregular watering, shallow sterile sediment, and full sun. I now live in Hawaii and am planning out what all I want to grow once I can get my garden up. I've been watching your videos a lot to get ideas and for the humor. This video in particular really hit me- I've been wanting to garden because it brings me so much joy to watch plants go from seed to fruit. It helps so much with the anxiety, fear, and other uncertainties that the world throws at us. I really appreciate you talking through your thoughts on the matter and how much it impacted you. Thank you for all of your videos, tips, humor, and most importantly: your approachable and kind personality. Hats off to you, Internet Garden Dad!
I feel like “self sufficient me” beats every money argument, great info video!
Every hobby I'be ever heard of costs money, especially at the beginning during set up. I have a craft room that gives me countless hours of pleasure and helps me unwind. Could I buy some of the stuff I make cheaper? Sure, but I get so much satisfaction from making my own and I don't mind paying for my entertainment, and saving on therapy.
I'm just in the planning stage of my vegie garden but I'm already enjoying it and am really looking forward to harvesting my own crops. Already it's getting me out in the fresh air more and got me moving. Some people pay a fortune on gym membership and see it as an investment in their future. I see my backyard veggie patch and chook run the same way.
I have to say thank you for your videos. I was finding all the books and articles overwhelming, especially when it comes to climate but as we are practically neighbours (I'm on the Gold Coast) I realised that if you can grow it I can give it a go too and I love your straight forward style of teaching. I've been binge watching and getting so much inspiration. Thank you
Hi Annejuli, and I agree with your craft analogy but might I add that made by hand is extra special than mass produced stuff purchased from a store. The time, love, originality, and effort that goes into creating a piece of craftwork is what makes it valuable to me and gardening is similar. All the best :)
I had a stroke a year ago, gardening not only makes me spend a lot of time outside but I eat heathy. 😘
I've started and moved away from 4 gardens in 62 years (grieving a little bit with each loss), and am building my 5th ! Your " Self Sustainable Me" videos are excellent and inspirarational. The hands on and common sense knowledge you offer Us all is beyond priceless. Thank you so much for all you do .
Looking forward to discovering your alternate channel for pickling and preservation recipes soon.
A child's imagination is lit by recipes and kitchen magic. I learned berry cobbler, jam and bread baking from my favorite Auntie at age 12
I truly love it, when you talk about such things as enviroment, common sense etc. Thanks Mark!
I love growing my own food and I don't always win. Sometimes I do though and I take a $2 packet of seeds and I'm able to grow myself months I mean months a fresh abundant greens. That $2 packet of greens I'm talking about right now has easily produced me this entire winter with close to $400 worth of produce and it is still producing I got about two more months out of these plants they're on their way to seed.
The main item I buy is coffee. I use a lot of it so it isn't feasible for me to grow. I live in town. My total acerage is 1/17th of an acre. I grow all our veggies on about half this area. I grow everything from asparagus to zucchini. I save my seeds and only buy seeds when I want to try a new variety. I use a lot of trellises in order to utilize as much space as I can to grow the amount of food that I produce. The bar and string trellises are a lot more economical than the cattle panels. I usually have enough to can and dehydrate but this year was an exceptionally bad year. Torrential rains, hail, high heat and humidity; and then the swarms of insects contributed to a decrease in production of my harvest. Lucky for my hubby and I that I know how to put food by for hard times. I will be doing small experimental sections of my garden next year for differing weather patterns and bug resistance to see what works well in my area.
I also have a dozen chickens. They provide me with eggs and manure. The chickens get the bugs, caterpillars, worms, and weeds from the garden. At the end of the main growing season they are allowed to free range the garden and the compost area before I plant the fall garden or after I protect it with tunnels. Some years there is an overlap between summer and fall gardens. I also use rabbit manure that I get from two sources.
I've never done a cost analysis but I know that I could not buy all the fresh organic produce I eat for less than $300 USD that I spend annually for the upkeep of my garden and chickens. The chickens are the majority of that cost. I do feed them my own blend of scratch feed. Organic eggs in my area are more than $3 a dozen. Times 2 dozen a week, which is what we eat, is more than $300 per year. Is it worth growing it yourself? YES And this isn't even taking into consideration all the health benefits!
You've got a great set up Jan and it sounds like you have a fantastic symbiotic system in place for recycling etc. Yes us gardeners have good and bad years but as you say yes it is worth growing your own without a doubt! Thank you for sharing your experience :)
That's impressive - my garden is 7 x 4 m, and it's north facing (in the UK). People are constantly surprised by how much I'm able to grow in it. Definitely a way off being self-sufficient and at some point I will upsize, but at the moment, I'm content! An acre is the dream.
1/17th of an acre🍀🌳🎋
@jan Penland - there was a story on Gardening Australia (it might also be on their YT channel) where an elderly Italian gent grew his own coffee in the suburbs. He had a just a few bushes planted next to his driveway & it took up only the tiniest little part of his garden. I think he said he planted them as seeds & within 4yrs they were producing coffee. He gets 1kg (2.2lb) of coffee beans per little bush & they're not even fully grown yet. Btw your garden sounds awesome, hope to use some of your pointers in my own tiny rectangle of dirt.
2 dozen a week? That's A LOT of eggs... How many are you?
I am not great at gardening but I enjoy potting around in the garden. Seeing how my plants growing and gives me beautiful flowers brightened up my day. I will come out to see my plant everyday after work. It makes me happy.
Seeing this video now after 18 months in Melbourne Covid Lockdown, the mental health aspect is more important than ever. Having a hobby that has a result that you can hold in your hands, an output for your hard labour, gives your brain a serotonin kick that no electronic hobby can give over the long run. Getting outside, especially in Winter (where gardening is possible in Winter at least) to help combat Seasonal Depressive Disorders a little is an extra bonus.
That little garden out back where all my little baby plants are waiting for me every day gives me a reason to get up and get cracking. 😎
So many times I have passed up something I wanted at the grocery store like fresh herbs because of the expense and when you grow yourself it is like a commitment to yourself to have it all
And herbs are stupid cheap and easy to grow, the cost of one packet of seed is what you would spend on a small hand full at the supermarket, and you will have the freshest herbs all season, more than you can use. Anything left over before the frost (assuming your climate) you can harvest and freeze, Not as nice, but still better and cheaper than the dried crap in the bottles at the grocer.
Its worth the therapy and pleasure from watching the plants grow.
Please do more videos like these as you share your thoughts. I'm a beginner gardener and i find that hear other gardener's story and journey really helps me and leads me. I hope to see more content like this
Growing healthy food for you and your family is priceless.
..... And the kids understand where food comes from... Priceless.
My old grandad grew all his own vegetables all his life. He lived to 97, and was still gardening until 93. It kept him physically and mentally active, as well as providing fresh, nutritious food. Growing, cooking, preserving, hunting, and gathering food for yourself and your family is the most important human activity.
Thanks for sharing your story - what a great example 👍 🙂
I love the honesty in this video! Such great insight and advice. definitely motivated to grow my own. I can do it!! :-D
You are officially my favorite person on RUclips! I have been binge watching you from Southern Illinois, USA for several days. My daughter and I are currently fixing up the old chicken coop and making a raised-bed garden. We got a few pullets today. I can't wait to start planting my veggies! Thank you for the inspiration and tips! ❤💗❤
I’m there with you, I’m addicted to Marks videos. Good luck with your adventures. 😁🙏🏻
@@lisabennett2554 thank you Lisa. Since last year we now have a small 9x16 raised bed, an almost finished 14x25 cattle panel green house with raised beds(growing lots of veg), blueberry bushes replacing my landscape bushes in the front yard, 3 Asian hybrid chestnut trees (for blight tolerance) and 6 laying hens(Rest in Piece Abigail and Honeysuckle who were taken by a fox). I love my life this way. I feel I have a purpose! My daughter and I have learned so much! I'll never look back.
I was depressed for a while and gardening and home brew actually changed my life around cheers mark on another awesome vid
I’ve been gardening seriously for 20y. Without touching on the cost of gardening I have to say that having fresh vegetables, even for the few months that my Canadian climate allows me, taste better, lasts longer and more than that, it’s the satisfaction of enjoying something that you’ve contributed to.
I don’t like the taste of tomatoes from the grocery yet I’ll be snacking on the ones I’ve grown.
When I bring a cucumber home from the grocer, it starts getting soft in a few days, yet my homegrown cucumbers will last for 2 weeks!
When I make a salad with all the ingredients from my garden, everyone raves about it and I feel absolutely pumped with pride to feed my family with my labour of love
I have long COVID, crippling social anxiety, major depression, childhood trauma, PTSD. My antidepressant is maxed out, I can't get into see a psychologist due to the high demand at the moment. If I let myself, I would cry myself to sleep every night. Gardening and your videos have been the only things that's given me something positive to look forward to, to get excited about, to wake up for. Thank you for these videos and for advocating for home gardening!
Very well said Mark - I'd give it 3 thumbs if I could! I particularly hate the line (which I have heard too many times) "I pulled out the veggie garden because I didn't want to spend my weekends pulling weeds" Sure, watching football and drinking beer is a much better use of ones weekend! Just how much time do you spend pulling weeds anyway? I doubt I spend 1/2 hour week!
Exactly! Anyhow, why not have the footy in the background when doing the gardening... Cheers mate :)
Each to their own...I'll pass on that, I'd rather hear the birds sing!
Homesteading DownUnder yes, but you probs have the sense to mulch.
i actually do my mates PUB GARDEN , where i get PAID while also having a beer and socalising with the local footie alcoholics ----- lol.
spend time pulling weeds out of the lawn anyways or spend extra time mowing
The reason why the cost of mass produced veg is cheap is because of exploitation. Exploitation of very poorly paid workers (in some forms, slavery- yes in the 21st century), exploitation of pesticides and herbicides that cause problems for wildlife and consumers long term etc etc. We see how perfect food is on the shelf, but don't see the massive about of messiness and waste behind it. It's the cherry on top of a very, very disgusting cake.
Growing our own food means giving ourselves choice again. The choice to have pesticide free food. The choice to avoid exploitation of hidden slavery. The choice to have food grown in a way that integrates the well being of wildlife in the area. The choice of having a nice garden to enjoy visually. So much choice and power back to the individual.
Sans Vertigo most crops are mechanically harvested nowadays.
@@Angela-lp3lz Not necessarily.
It is only some farmers that have such equipment. In many developing and underdeveloped countries manual labor is used most of the time and many of the farmers are recklessly exploited by the middle men.
For me it’s a mental benefit the satisfaction of watching a plant grow and fruit but also the peace of mind of learning and knowing I can sustain myself if I need to.
Thank you for sharing this true and necessary perspective! As a newbie to home gardening I'm constantly becoming aware of the great number and diverse ways that engaging with this humble art is a benefit to me. Not just about the destination but the journey as well!
Me and the Wife love watching your videos, we recently moved to a semi- country home away from the city and are on 2 acres, which is a lot to us.
I grew some small raised bed gardens in the city and they saved us a lot of money.
Now out here it will save we estimate $150-200USD a month after ALL costs.
Thank you for your service, I was in the US Army and have had met a few of your boys while over there in Iraq.Good boys that’s for sure.
Me and the Wife love the videos, thanks for all the time you are taking to show, help and teach us.
Much love brother.
This has to be one of my favorite videos ever! We have a garden and I”ve actually taken over part of our front yard for potatoes this year. I love taking my cup of coffee out every morning and checking on all my garden plants and the yard. I’ve never thought of calculating how much it all costs and I’m sad to see there are people out there that do. We just built all new raised beds out of metal roofing. I love them. My husband and I live in the pacific NW a stones throw from Puget Sound. We fish A LOT. Mostly salmon and halibut. We joke about the cost of it all but when you open your freezer and see it full of fresh salmon, it’s worth it. Besides, it’s our shared memories, fishing, hunting and gardening. So many life experiences are worth more than money can buy! I couldn’t agree with you more. There is also a lot of pride being able to bring food to the table to feed your family. I only shop at the market maybe once a month now. I’m hoping we have a successful fishing/hunting/gardening season so all I have to buy is flour, coffee and sugar. Oh and one more thing, I wouldn’t eat farm raised fish or shrimp (sold in the grocery stores here in the USA ‘Farm Raised’ doesn’t mean it’s good or healthy) if it was the last thing to eat on earth. So many things they say are safe are poison. People need to research what they are putting in their bodies! Thank you for letting me rant. Love your videos! I need to go through your list and find out how your arbor turned out!
After watching this video I have a new found respect for it. I lost my job last year and things got tight for a bit and fuel costs became a bit of an issue, I had some well established plants which I was able to sell off when we needed to purchase fuel when we needed it, one of those times was for a successful job interview. Put a price on that.
I just started gardening. We built garden beds out of old fence, divert water from the sump pump, and regrow as much as we can. Loving it!!
People are waking up mate. I have a weekly market stall selling my greens etc. The most my produce travels is 10mins to town . Customers constantly comment to all of us local farmers that the flavour, the quality is much more than any supermarket can offer. Anyway.. I have lots I could write to support your POV but I'm positive that major corps are just grabbing a 'last minute ' headline purely because so many are moving away from mass produced foods.. they are either growing there own or coming to us small passionate growers for their tucker ..
Fresh is best ! Excellent video mate 👍🌱
That's comforting to know how you (via your market business) can see people moving away from mass production and back to the smaller specialist farmers who grow with love (and no chemicals). Thanks mate :)
Hey Mark, new subscriber here. Live not too far from you. My partner and I love watching you. We’ve always wanted to grow our own food. Not just for the delicious factor, but for health and environmental benefits as well. We’re finally doing it getting our own little piece of acreage in the Sunny Coast hinterland and your videos have been so helpful. I work in the financial services industry. Trust me. People crunching numbers about this have no idea. Thank you so much. We appreciate you.
I love this channel - and this video especially! Only recently discovered you, and am learning so much! I live in South Africa, in a flat, with a courtyard that only gets summer sun and a front area that gets blasted with sun all year round! I'm trying for the first time to grow food in pots. Bless you, Mark. And thank you so much.
I loved this video... It's like when the missus bought a thermo mix and I kept saying, this meal cost us $$$$$, then the second time we used it, the meal cost us $$$$, then $$$, Then $$, then $ etc etc. And your explanation of the beneficial health benefits from moving from a defence force background to a farming, or gardening that you are doing, I can definitely relate to from my 17 years in the Cops to being medically retired and moving to breed Pygmy goats as well as gardening is VERY therapeutic and has done wonders for my mental health. I'm looking forward to "hopefully" starting my own channel about my goats....
I love this. I've been growing food for over 10 years, and like Mark, have been crowd growing for a long time before it had a name. I can very easily live off my garden with little to no effort due to just how much produce I grow. All of it is for free, I save seeds, mulch the ground yearly, and barely have to lift a finger to maintain it. I just walk outside every single day with a huge bowl and fill it to the brim. The number of vegetables I eat per meal would cost at least 10-20 dollars per meal at the supermarket due to just how much I am able to eat in one serving because it's so plentiful in my garden.
Naysayers are dumb af.
I love how your accent changes to more American like when you are talking like the 'fool' expert saying eat store bought food. I'm an American and love it.
You may be an American but you need to go back to school and learn how to construct a sentence
Im 50 and I learned alot from my Grandfather at a very young age, on how to be self sufficient by growing our own food. In this time we are living, Im joyful to look like the fool they say I am for putting in to action what my Grandpa taught me. I tell you something for sure, I won‘t look like a fool, when my family has food on the table. Its been a journey to get this far with our gardens but with Homesteaders and awesome people like you, its has been a great learning lesson and prosperous harvest. We have had enough to share with loved ones and some neighbors. Thank you for your teaching videos and sharing your knowledge. God bless you and your household.
Greetings from the US! I think growing you own food is a great activity, good for your health, environment and your pocket. Don’t feel discouraged at all about people that criticize, you are doing a great activity, and I’m thankful that you are sharing your experiences. Good luck, keep up the good work.